Going International and Learning about Cultural Diversity

This article relates to the Diversity in the Workplace Competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency explores whether your organization provides understanding and supports interaction among diverse population groups while respecting individuals' personal values and ideas. Research shows that by fostering a climate where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic, an organization can create a success-oriented, cooperative and caring work environment that draws intellectual strength and produces innovative solutions from the synergy of its people. All businesses can benefit from a diverse body of talent bringing fresh ideas, perspectives, and views to the workplace. However, a diverse workforce means that the managers within your organization must be capable of capitalizing on the mixture of genders, cultural backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles present in your staff to respond to business opportunities more rapidly and creatively.

This article, Going International and Learning about Cultural Diversity, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It provides insight and advice for successful communication between employees from different countries and diverse cultural backgrounds.

Anonymous Submission

Our small company, which had previously done business only in the U.S.A., was recently purchased by a large organization with business units located around the world. The plans were laid for our integration into the new parent company, and our work methods and procedures changed substantially.

My coworkers and I found developing close working relationships with employees located in other countries and from different cultures to be a particularly challenging part of the transition. We were accustomed to most of our fellow employees residing in the same building, and now we were part of a team that stretched halfway around the world. Sometimes it was hard to understand that we were all part of the same workforce. We worked and learned about cultural diversity together, and have built strong partnerships over the past year. Modern technology links us all everyday - by phone, e-mail teleconferencing and for some, frequent international travel. Much of our learning was accomplished through trial and error, and we all made some mistakes that we laugh about and some that we are quite content to forget. Here are a few of the lessons we learned, offered in the hope that they may be helpful to others:

* Go slow- listen a lot, and get to know your new coworkers. Remember that it takes time to build strong business relationships - in any culture.

* Learn the culture - do a little research - it's easy to find out about customs involving titles, surnames, or status, and can save you the embarrassment of unnecessary social mistakes.

* Be sensitive - find out what cultural rules apply and be considerate enough to abide by them. Be careful in conversation, and avoid non-business topics like politics, religion and humor, at least until you become better acquainted.

* Recognize differences - in attitudes and practices across cultures, especially when dealing with work issues like punctuality, scheduling, and deadline flexibility.

If your business is going global on a large scale, your company might consider offering its employees a training program in workplace diversity or multicultural relations. Take advantage of these opportunities when offered, or suggest them to the appropriate people in your organization. Employee satisfaction surveys have shown that being well informed helps when deriving the maximum benefits in productivity and performance for the entire organization.